The defending champion and the new Olympiad Gold Medallist, Vidit Gujrathi, won’t be able to take part in the 10th Vugar Gashimov Memorial Chess tournament in Azerbaijan, scheduled from September 25 to 30. The reason behind that is the 29-year-old has to meet the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, as reported by ChessBase India.
Vidit, the defending champion who outperformed fellow Indian Arjun Erigaisi last year with 22 points compared to Arjun’s 21.5 points, had to withdraw after arriving in Baku. Now, he returned to India.
Solo Indian competitor
Aravindh Chithambaram will now be the sole Indian participant in this year’s Gashimov tournament, which features ten players competing in rapid and blitz formats.
Honouring a Chess legend
The tournament is held in memory of Vugar Gashimov, a renowned Azerbaijani chess player, European champion, and international grandmaster. It is organised by the Vugar Gashimov Foundation, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Azerbaijan Chess Federation.
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